School Life
Being a small school of only 80 pupils St Mary's Music School has a lively, warm and family-led atmosphere where pupils, teachers and staff come together in a hubbbub of activity. The heart of the School is Coates Hall, a Victorian villa which is surrounded by beautiful gardens and a tennis/games court and is peaceful and quiet, despite being located in the centre of Edingurgh. Around 35 pupils are boarders, living in either single or twin ensuite rooms in the main building, many with an outlook over the garden and grounds. From time to time day pupils also stay overnight, but with a busy schedule of perforamnces and outings everyone comes together on a regular basis.
Performances
Performance plays a big part in the life of every pupil. Major concerts involving the whole school take place in external venues at least three times a year but there are also a whole host of additional performance opporunities - from the annual Jazz concert to recital prizes and competitions, to smaller concerts for invited guests. In addition our senior pupils are also frequently invited to perform at external gatherings and venues. In the last year this has included frequent visits to the home of Scottish Parliament, Holyrood; the French Consulate, St Cecilia's Hall, as well as numerous other venues. In addition there are regular weekly concerts in-house, the Chancel Concert series which takes place twice a year in St Mary's Cathedral and the opportunity for pupils to stage their own recitals for their peers and staff or visiting guests.
Unmissable Concerts
Edinburgh is known as the world's Festival City and is a major cultural capital. With so much culture on our doorstep there is a visit into town, for an orchestral or chamber music concert, to the opera or ballet, every week of the school year. Thanks to the generosity of the many friends and supporters of the school, these concerts are often free, or there is a small charge.
There are regular visits to orchestras and ensembles who are based in Edinburgh:
In addition, concert visits include the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, who play in Edinburgh every week, the Hebrides Ensemble and Georgian Concerts Society.
These concerts, enabling pupils to see world-class musicians on a regular basis, sometimes with the chance to go backstage, is a unique part of every pupil's learning and education her at St Mary's Music School.
Academic Outings
Edinburgh is a Unesco World Heritage site and is the home to many wolrd-class universities, incredible architecture and beautiful green spaces. Where appropriate our teaching staff make the most of the city by taking pupils on outings linked to their study choices. This could be to make use of university science laboratories, to access the expertise of the team at the Botanic Gardens, to visit an art gallery or museum.
Food
All pupils have a choice of healthy meal options in the main dining room. Our School Chef produces interesting and new menus with healthy and locally sourced ingredients and there is ample choice and variety at mealtimes. In addition, there are frequently themed dinners for the boarders. On these occasions, the Dining Hall is transformed into the appropriate cultural environment. The boarders also have the chance to learn how to cook and help with meals in the kitchen.